Cross Country Ride Advice/Tips

[live2ride]

if you are going to hotel it, stop by all the state vistor centers.  they usually have a booklet of coupons for motels. also check AAA before you go.

take the tools you know how to use.  other than that, zip ties and duct tape.

strap more to the bike and less to you. but make sure whatever is tied down is tied down securely. 


oh yea, if its hot, don't wear cotton.  i prefer nike dri-fit, but any similar polyester wicking shirt will be nice.  get it wet if its REALLY hot

[duc996]

One advice, enjoy your ride and adventure

[K3V1N]

I have one, shit happens when travelling be careful that if something happens to slow you up you don't fixate on getting to your planned destination. Knowing when to change your plans is a important skill.

I have gone both ways but I know that speeding in the dark and cold after riding 8 hours isn't the smart call.

[He Man]

When the sun goes away, it feels like it drops 30 degress. a 50 degree night suddenly turns deadly.

[Privateer]

take a chain breaker and some spare links.

get a camelback and fill it every chance you get.  you dehydrate quickly.

i like textile gear because it's versatile.  get a one piece rain suit if your gear isn't for sure waterproof.

as said above, stop every 120-150 miles for gas, stretch, water.

avoid junk food.  ask the locals where to eat/drink.  don't ask chain hotel flunkies, they recommend whoever gives them a kickback (trust me, i use to work in a hotel).

keep your ID, money, cards, registration, insurance card, etc etc on your person at all times.

use a carbiner (attached to above camelback) to hold your keys when you're off the bike.  Make it a habit to clip them on as soon as you're off the bike.  Nothing sucks worse than thinking you lost the key, searching for 45 minutes, then realizing it's in your pocket.

do warm up rides before leaving.

change saddle position often.

get a throttle lock of some kind, go-cruise, throttle meister, vista cruise.

make sure someone else knows your route/hotel info and check in at lunch and each night.  consider getting a spot tracker as well.

especially especially watch out for rapid speed limit changes when you're entering city limits (my first out-of-state achievement award).

[garryc]

Buy an airhawk
http://www.airhawk.com.au/products.php?product_category_id=28

[pitbull]

Ooh! That reminds me:

- Call your bank or credit card company and tell them what you're planning. Gas stations are a popular target for stolen credit cards. Apparently 3 or more gas station stops in a day qualifies as "suspicious" activity, and got my card locked the first time. All it took was a phone call to straighten it out, but it was still a pain in the ass. The second time I had called them ahead of time and told them what was up, so it wasn't an issue.

goog point about the credit card. It's great that credit card companies are more on the ball now about raising red flags if your card appears in too many places, but it can be a pain.

a couple more thoughts:

along with the tools already mentioned, a small pair of vice grips. They make a great shifter, footpeg or break lever if you snap one off and need one in a pinch.

staying dry and warm is tops. Along with the rain suit and warm clothes, I suggest a neck warmer of fleece or merino wool, in case you hit some cold temps. I've dressed in warm gear on the monster, at cold temperatures and if the neck isn't warm, the whole body gets cold. I have a few cheap fleece ones I bought at a dollar store and they are the most valuable item in my touring kit.

warm gloves, for the same reason as the neck warmer.

to those that said stay hydrated, I couldn't agree more.  a number of years back I rode across the continent, including the mid and western U.S on the monster,  during a killer  heat wave and suffered bad dehydration even though I drank 2 litres of water at each gas stop. I was riding 12-14 hr days and simply couldn't drink enough. The lack of wind protection means the constant air on you sucks the water right out of your body which combined with high temperatures, makes it very hard to stay hydrated.

[PhilB]

Lots of good advice here.  All of it may be more than you need, but it's better to be overprepared than under.  Once you've made a few trips, you can figure out what is overkill for you, what you're not using, and what extra you might need that others haven't thought of.

I definitely second the throttle help; you can really tire out your hand (at best) or come up with CTS (at worst) without some help there.  A throttle lock is one solution (go-cruise, throttle meister, vista cruise).  I have found that a simple CrampBuster solves the problem for me just fine, for about $10.

PhilB

[mysticbluex3]

Lots of great advice.  Thanks!  Hopefully I don't have to worry too much about the cold.  Looks like the temperature will be high of 80s and low of 50s.  I think I will have to worry about heat more than anything. 

I was planning on placing a camelbak bladder in the tank bag.  I'm going to practice at home to see if its possible to thread the mouth piece thru the bottom of the helmet so I can drink water when on the bike.

I don't really have much time to order a throttle lock as I'm leaving next week.  Or maybe I do.  Either way, I'll get at least a CrampBuster.  I think they sell that at my local Cycle gear.

I actually go roadside assistance from Progressive.  Extra $15/year and this is what I get.  Much cheaper than $120 with AAA and the coverage is more or less the same.

- It covers towing to nearest qualified repair shop (unlimited mileage).  So if I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere and the closet shop is 100miles away, they will tow it for free.  Or free towing within 15 miles. 
- Dead Battery
- Flat Tire
- Run out of gas
- Trip interruption: $500 for hotel / food / alternative transportation when the bike is in the shop.

[Privateer]

Lots of great advice.  Thanks!  Hopefully I don't have to worry too much about the cold.  Looks like the temperature will be high of 80s and low of 50s.  I think I will have to worry about heat more than anything. 

I was planning on placing a camelbak bladder in the tank bag.  I'm going to practice at home to see if its possible to thread the mouth piece thru the bottom of the helmet so I can drink water when on the bike.

I don't really have much time to order a throttle lock as I'm leaving next week.  Or maybe I do.  Either way, I'll get at least a CrampBuster.  I think they sell that at my local Cycle gear.

I actually go roadside assistance from Progressive.  Extra $15/year and this is what I get.  Much cheaper than $120 with AAA and the coverage is more or less the same.

- It covers towing to nearest qualified repair shop (unlimited mileage).  So if I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere and the closet shop is 100miles away, they will tow it for free.  Or free towing within 15 miles. 
- Dead Battery
- Flat Tire
- Run out of gas
- Trip interruption: $500 for hotel / food / alternative transportation when the bike is in the shop.

heat is a problem, but be prepared for unseasonable showers.  Might be better to have a rain suit and not need it.

unless your chin bar is really close, you should have no problem getting the camelback nozzle in there.

my local cyclegear sells the go cruise, which I used for my yellowstone trip.  it was weird riding left-handed, but it was nice being able to change positions and grip

[He Man]

i just ordered the go cruise. thing looks badass, i have the throttle rocket II. its good for the short highway jaunts but for real long distance riding, i really wanna take my hand off the bar and switch it up.

[Desmo Demon]

This thread has most of the information you probably need...

http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=55191.0

[mysticbluex3]

Yup.  I just ordered the go-cruise too!

[KnightofNi]

if you are on a stop over and get bored, don't kill a hooker and bathe in her blood. you don't know what diseases the hooker might have. 
you want to eat her heart (cooked of course)


on a more serious note. make sure you have a camera that can be operated with gloves on. that way you actually stop to take that picture that you think would be pretty cool, but don't want to add a full minute to your travel time 

[R0CKETMAN]

I'll add
- bike security
- 3" folder for self defense. Legal in most if not all states.
- mounted gps
- locate contacts along the way prior to leaving. Friends, family, friends and family of friends and family. You might need help of some kind.